Eureka ready to strike in new-look 7B
The Eureka boys basketball looks to capitalize on a new-look District 7B and make a run behind a veteran-laden team.
“Our plan is to win the conference, win the divisional, and win state,” said coach Gabe Evans.
Following a 10-14 record in 2022-23, Evans brings back seven seniors onto this year's squad.
“Sometimes that’s a good thing, sometimes a disaster,” he said. “If they all accept their role we have a chance to be pretty good this year.”
The district sees a few changes from last season; Bigfork is off to Class A and Superior makes the jump up from Class C. Evans expects the district to be fairly even.
A pair of all-conference-caliber seniors lead Eureka: Tristan Butts and Braden Casazza.
Over in Thompson Falls, the Blue Hawks look to improve on a 12-12 season. The season got started on Dec. 2 with a 72-45 loss at Florence-Carlton.
Fans should be on the lookout for junior guard Bryson LeCoure for Thompson Falls, He was named second team all-district last season.
Down in St. Ignatius, the Mission boys got their season started with an 80-39 loss to Ronan. The Bulldogs finished last season at 15-11, falling to Bigfork 49-47 in the Western B Divisional challenge game, and return seniors Rhain Gonzalez and Landon Walks Over Ice..
Superior can hope 6-foot-5 freshman Landon Richards controls the paint, and seniors Rowyn Shrupe and Derek Cole will lead a Troy team that returned the majority of its roster from last season.
Plains will rely on junior Darren Standeford as the Horsemen look to make a run at a district crown.
Lion girls also tough
Eureka comes into the new season with a new coach and a team excited to be back on the court.
Leading the Lions this season is Julian Aduato, promoted to varsity head coach after leading the junior high team previously.
“It was an easy transition,” said Aduato, noting that he coached most his roster previously.
Eureka expects to be a contender. Bigfork is gone, and Thompson Falls graduated a solid group of seniors.
“The start of the season felt like we improved a lot this summer,” said Aduato. “Mission is our other strongest competition.”
Senior Dylan Sharp, in her fourth varsity season, will help to lead the Lions this season. Junior Kara Stanger, an All-State volleyball player and a great shooter, is another player to watch.
The Mission girls got the season started with a win over Ronan 53-38, and look to make a run to state after falling short in the Western B Divisional last season.
The Bulldogs return two all-district second team players: junior Kason Page and sophomore Cora Matt.
Thompson Falls looks to continue the success from last season’s 13-7 record despite losing some talent. One to Watch for the Blue Hawkss will be sophomore Gabi Hannum, an all-around talent named All-State in volleyball this year.
Superior will lean on returning senior Lanie Crabb and her freshman sister Josie Crabb in their first season back at the Class B level.
Troy will rely on their lone senior, Sarah Rogers, to lead the team this season.
Plains is led by a pair of seniors in the paint: Blakely Lakko and Lexie Demming.